Vehicle

2012 Ford Mustang GT Premium 2dr Coupe (5.0L 8cyl 6M)

Review

I've had my 2012 GT premium for about a year and a half now and it has been absolutely FLAWLESS from day 1.

The manual transmission is smooth as butter, the car accelerates like a missile, the candy red metallic paint is mesmerizing in the sunlight and the interior (especially with saddle leather) rivals European quality (my wife has a 2010 Audi A4 and we both agree the mustang's interior design/quality is superior)

I feel like I have sacrificed NOTHING with this car and that's the first time I've ever felt that way about owning any car.The back seats are JUST big enough to fit 2 average sized adults and the trunk holds JUST enough luggage & fuel economy is mid 20's mixed hwy/city.

Best Features

Classic mustang looks and unfortunately, the 2012 is the last year it seems.
2013's face-lift does not sit well with me (the front end in particular) so my favorite aspect of the car is the classic muscular lines that flow perfectly.
Obviously having over 412 crank hp (ford underrates these cars as my car made 380 rear wheel hp stock on the dyno) is nice also.
Incredibly well styled interior (especially on the premium) really makes BEING in the car pleasant.
The retro gauges, the brushed aluminum dash trim, the interior "mood" lighting.. everything all adds up to a really well done interior.

Worst Features

The chassis refinements they made in 2011 are a huge improvement over the previous generations but is JUST good enough.
when pushed hard, the car becomes a little squirrly in the back end and you feel like you're driving at the edge of control leaving little confidence in the car as pro driver Randy Pobst pointed out in his comparison of the 2011 GT with the 2011 M3.
Simple suspension upgrades from either ford racing or (like I did) steeda sport springs and koni shocks and struts yield VASTLY superior handling when pushed hard, an excellent sitting stance (1.25 inch drop in front and 1.5 in rear) and stock-like ride comfort.